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One of the greatest challenges we face concerning our school-aged children is the lack of respect they have and exhibit towards authority.

Hence it becomes our duty as parents to teach and train our children to honour those who have rule over them.

The other day I was in a shoe store and observed the behaviour and comments of female teens and their mothers. The students had obviously been sent home on their first day of school because of incorrect shoes. We can all agree that this is very irritating to all involved.

However, I know for sure that the parents received information about the correct uniform (including shoes). The stores had the same information. I know this because as I shopped for school shoes I made sure to call The Berkeley Institute and confirm that we were safe to purchase particular shoes. Last year, we had purchased incorrect shoes and we certainly did not want to repeat the error. As I paid for the shoes, the worker showed me the brochures that had all the information regarding the correct footwear for each school.

So, back to my observation. What a disappointment it was to observe the mothers joining in with their daughters in berating and demeaning schoolteachers. The mothers clearly had nothing good to say about the teachers or the rules of the school.

I gently meandered to the teens and their mothers. I looked at their daughters' shoes and let them know that the shoes had no instep. I informed them that this was not a new school rule, as it was the same rule that was in place when I taught at that very school. I also added that the parents had been mailed information about school uniforms and that the choice of school shoes was wrong according to that information.

Respect

What is my point in sharing this story? Some of us are missing it! Some parents are missing the opportunity to have their children gain a right respect and a right relationship with the teachers. Unfortunately, these parents make the teacher's ability to correctly discipline their children very difficult. The teens now know that their parents have a 'problem' with the school and the school rules.

What a setup for possible failure! All of this has been authorized and instigated by parents. Parents, we must understand that to come against authority in the presence of the immature minds of our teens is a dangerous thing. We have just trained them in the wrong way.

Parents, the world is bigger than The Berkeley Institute. Therefore, understand clearly, that if the lessons of The Berkeley Institute are truly taken to heart, the world becomes any child's playground. In other words, if we can learn the lessons in school, the possibilities for success are endless! Let us not limit the possible blessings of our children by undermining the efforts of our educational system to equip them in becoming disciplined citizens. Respice Finem.[[In-content Ad]]

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